The Seattle Seahawks will have more questions facing them this off-season than a Jeopardy contestant. Yes, I know, technically they face answers on the game show, but you get the idea. Let's look at five of the biggest. Questions, not answers. Or contestants.
The Seahawks had a lot of questions coming into this season. Would they take another step forward from their 2022 season? Would that great rookie class continue to improve? Could Geno Smith get back to his Comeback Player of the Year form? So far, we have no clue about any of those questions. The Hawks are at 6-3 again, just like last year. All but one of the most prominent rookies have been injured most of the year. And Smith has been inconsistent but played very well in week 10.
Since we don't have those answers, we came up with more questions based on other 12s suggestions. See, we're smart like that. When we don't know, we punt. Not like Michael Dickson, mind you, but we get rid of the ball. Okay, so maybe it's more of an intentional grounding, but we're not taking the sack!
The Seattle Seahawks have a new OC - me. What do I do differently?
Offensive coordinator Shane Waldron seems to be an inconsistent play-caller but has also shown the ability to be creative at times. If you were the offensive coordinator, how would you run the offense differently?
First, god help the Seahawks and the 12s. Okay, clearly, I would be certain to cap running plays at 15 per game. That seems to be the Seattle way. Seriously, the Seahawks rank 28th in the league in the percentage of running plays, at 39.7 percent. The supposedly pass-happy Kansas City Chiefs and Miami Dolphins both run the ball more than the Hawks. You'd think Eddie Lacy was still in the backfield. I'd run the damn ball.
As for the tight ends, the Hawks are actually using them fairly well. As a group, they have 37 catches on 48 targets. No, that's not Travis Kelce level, but the Hawks don't have Kelce. More importantly, the Chiefs don't have Tyler Lockett, DK Metcalf, Jaxon Smtth-Njigba, or Jake Bobo. Sure, I'd get them a little more involved, but there are only so many touches in a game. Then again, more conversions on third down would lead to more touches, so...I'll get back to that later.
Unsung heros of the Seahawks
Who is one offensive player and one defensive player who has gone a little unsung this year and deserves more attention for being good?
On defense, it's an easy answer: Tre Brown. After a disastrous game in the season opener versus the Rams, he turned his season around to the point that he's been just as reliable as Riq Woolen. Speaking of the god of paywalled sites, PFF, he's graded higher than Woolen in coverage, 80.3 to 70.3.
That's even higher than Witherspoon's 77.7. Um, okay, sure, PFF, time for your meds. Anyway, Brown has the same forced incompletion rate as Woolen, 15 percent, and has given up one score compared to Riq's three. Plus he has two picks and zero missed tackles. I'm not saying he's as good as Riq - certainly not as good as Spoon - but no one talks about him.
On offense, it's a much more difficult question. To say Jake Bobo is an unsung hero is laughable; you'd think he was leading the NFL in every statistical category. Of course, per snap, he's close, so he deserves every bit of praise. He's hardly unsung, that's all. I can't go with Charbonnet, as he gets plenty of buzz, too. On a national level, it's Tyler Lockett, but all 12s know how great he is. I thought about running waaay out to left field on this one and saying it's Abe Lucas. As in the O-line has been less than great without him. But that's a bit of a copout, so I'll go with Will Dissly.
Yes, he's been overshadowed by Noah Fant - heck, Colby Parkinson has nearly 70 more snaps than Dissly - but Uncle Will has been about as reliable as he could possibly be. He's caught 8 of 9 targets and had zero drops. All the Hawks tight ends have a high catch rate, though. What stands out for me is that Dissly averages more yards after the catch than either Fant or Parkinson.
Even with that spectacular run after the catch that some delusional 12s credit to Drew Lock - you know, the three-yard pass that Fant turned into a 51-yard gain - Fant averages 7.7 yards after the catch. Dissly averages 8.0 YAC. That's higher than Metcalf or Lockett, for those scoring at home. Yes, different routes and tight windows, I know, but eight yards after the catch is eight yards. Oh, and Dissly can block, too. PFF grades him at 77.7 in run blocking and 78.9 in pass blocking. That's outstanding. So, yeah, Uncle Will is definitely unsung.
Jim Harbaugh: next coach of the Seahawks?
Let's assume you are a Michigan fan and Jim Harbaugh has certainly had his issues lately and could bolt back to the NFL. Pete Carroll is going to retire eventually. Does Harbaugh replacing Carroll make sense to you? Why or why not?
Gee, thanks for outing me. In a word, nope. Not to be ageist, I mean, I'm older than he is - but Harbaugh will be 60 before he comes back to the sidelines and coaches the Wolverines in a bowl game. If Pete retires after this season, at best I see Harbaugh as a stop-gap solution to the next coach. He has a similar "rah-rah" style for which Pete is often derided, but we all see how many players not named Earl Thomas come back to the Seahawks to either play or confer after their careers.
As a short-term solution, I can see the value in getting Harbaugh. He's intense, he gets buy-in for his system, and he trusts his players. Moreover, he believes in his players and gets them to believe in themselves. Sounds like a coach we all know. It's not like he washed out of the NFL, either. He was 44-19-1 with the Niners. As soon as he had an 8-8 season, the organization had enough of the head-butting with him and cut him loose. Yes, he's opinionated. San Francisco didn't like that and went in the tank for four years to show how smart they were. Harbaugh would be a top choice for a few NFL teams.
But I'd much prefer Seattle get a younger coach with an eye on the long term. Plus, while there's no evidence that Harbaugh directed or even knew about the sign-stealing at Michigan, he should have known. How exactly do your coaches get such detailed information on other teams and you don't realize it's happening? That bothers me, and it bothers me a lot. In-game, of course, every team tries to figure out the other team's signs. But the NCAA has banned in-person advance scouting for decades. No, I don't think Harbaugh knew about it. But he should have. So thanks, but no thanks.
Three free agents the Hawks must bring back
Who are three impending Seahawks free agents that the team absolutely must re-sign?
Bobby Wagner, B-Wagz, and number 54, although not necessarily in that order. I'll get to the other two, but yeah, Bobby Wagner has to come back. I know, I know, he'll be 34 next year, practically as old as Jim Harbaugh. Despite that advanced age, he still leads all Seahawks in snap count this season. He's still an elite player, among the best in the league. He's the best linebacker on the Seahawks and would be next year as well.
Call me crazy, but I'm staying with the linebackers and saying the Hawks have to keep Jordyn Brooks as well. No, he isn't as good as Wagner, but he's close. spotrac.com estimates his market value as just about $14M, and the Hawks have a lot of financial decisions to make, as always. But Wagner should be much cheaper - I mean, he will be 34, after all - and Seattle is likely to release an underperforming player or two still under contract to save some bucks. They'll have cap space for Brooks.
I'll go with Phil Haynes for my third choice. Yes, considering my endless praise of Darrell Taylor, you thought I was going with him. Haynes has been the one consistent player on the offensive line this year. He's allowed three sacks, not good, but just seven pressures in all, less than half of Damien Lewis's 15. I don't see that he'd cost that much to re-sign - currently $4M - and he can play left guard as well as right. And we all know how much Pete Carroll loves versatility. Mea culpa - I forgot that Colby Parkinson is a free agent, so - nah, I'll address him separately. Everything about the other three players still stands.
Three position groups the Seahawks must address
Which three position groups have to be addressed this offseason?
Interior defensive line. We've written on this site that Dre'Mont Jones has been a bigger disappointment than his jersey size. He hasn't been bad, but his play in no way justifies his contract; as you said, it's the biggest FA signing from another team in the Carroll-Schneider era. That performance per dollar issue strikes again.
Hopefully, sliding him to the edge is the answer, but it's too soon to tell. Jarran Reed has been very good, although as you said he's dropped off lately, and Mario Edwards has played better than I expected. Mike Morris looked like a future starter for sure in his one game, but it was still one game, and we don't know for certain how he'll play next season. Seattle has no Pro Bowlers on that line, and that needs to change.
Safety. As you addressed in other articles, Quandre Diggs has taken a step back this season across the board, and the Hawks would save, what, $11 M in cap space by cutting him? I hate it, as he's still a good player and an awesome Seahawk, but the bottom line is performance per dollar. And he's not at that top echelon anymore. Julian Love hasn't shown enough to convince me he's the answer, either. Plus the Seahawks want to play a lot of three safety sets. Maybe Coby Bryant is that third guy, maybe Jerrick Reed II. But we aren't close to knowing that. So, it needs to be addressed.
Quarterback. That really doesn't need any explanation. But I will anyway, briefly. I hope that Geno Smith's game against the Commanders shows that he's bounced back, but even then, Seattle had to settle for four field goals when drives stalled. They were still terrible on third down. As much as I like Smith, as much as the detractors blindly call for Drew Lock to start with zero evidence he'd be better, The Seahawks need to figure this out. Smith's play through week 18 will give them one answer, at least.